The Do’s And Don’ts Of SEO Localization

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December 27, 2022 Marketing

Search engine optimization is an essential part of any marketing strategy. In the age of globalization, optimizing your content for different audiences is more critical than ever. It helps you rank higher in search results, reach new audiences, and attract more leads. One of the many ways of optimizing your content is through localization.

Localization is essential to SEO as it involves adapting a website to a specific language and culture to make it more relevant and accessible to a target audience. While localization can help improve a website’s search engine rankings and user experience, it’s crucial to approach it carefully to avoid common mistakes. Here are some of the dos and don’ts of SEO localization to keep in mind when going through this process.

Do’s Of SEO Localization

When localizing your website for different audiences, it’s essential to keep these best practices in mind.

1. Work With Local SEO Experts

Local SEO experts such as Point Dot Agency and several others can help guide your localization efforts and identify any potential issues that could hurt your search engine rankings. They can also provide insights into what works well in different languages and cultures, which is essential for tailoring content to specific audiences. Moreover, if you rely on foot traffic, you can improve the visibility of your maps and local citations to boost your business sales.

2. Research Your Target Audience And Location

The first step in localization is to identify your target audience and the location you want to target. This will help you determine which language and cultural factors to consider when adapting your website. To do this, you can use tools to identify the location of your website’s visitors and their language preferences. You can also conduct surveys or focus groups to gather more specific information about your target audience’s needs and preferences.

3. Use Local Keywords And Phrases

Once you’ve identified your target audience and location, you can start incorporating local keywords and phrases into your website’s content. This aids your website in ranking higher in search results for those keywords and phrases, making it more visible to your target audience.

When choosing keywords and phrases, consider your target location’s language, culture, and context. For example, if you’re targeting Spanish speakers in Spain, you might use local phrases like “tapa,” a type of small dish, or “siesta,” a midday nap, commonly used in that culture. These local phrases are easily accessible, authentic, and relatable for Spanish-speaking audiences.

4. Optimize Your Website’s Language And Layout

The language and layout of your website are equally important factors to consider when optimizing it for different audiences. Suppose you’re targeting English speakers in the US. In that case, you should use American English instead of British English on your website because the former is the more commonly used variant of English in that region. You should also optimize your website’s layout using a left-to-right writing format, which is the standard layout for English-speaking audiences.

5. Optimize Your Website For Local Search Engines

In addition to using local keywords and phrases, optimizing your website for local search engines is essential. This means ensuring that your website is registered with local search engines, such as Baidu in China or Yandex in Russia. It contains the necessary metadata to be easily indexed and understood by those search engines. You can use tools to submit your website to local search engines and ensure that it’s being correctly indexed.

6. Market And Competition Research

The local market you’re targeting to rank is competitive but with many opportunities for you. You need to conduct plenty of research to find out who your competitors are and their marketing strategies. You can also do keyword research, link research, and more to identify the areas where you can work on your SEO.

7. Use Local Images And Videos

In addition to text, images and videos are essential to localization. Local images and videos can help your website feel more relevant and authentic to your target audience and improve your search engine rankings. For example, if you’re targeting French speakers in Paris, you might use images of the Eiffel Tower or other local landmarks or videos of local events or activities. Just be sure to use high-quality photos and videos that are relevant to your target audience and location.

Don’ts Of SEO Localization

When localizing your SEO strategies, there are several things you should avoid. These include the following.

1. Don’t Use Machine Translation

While it might be tempting to use machine translation to adapt your website to a new language quickly, this is generally not a good idea. Machine translation can often produce awkward or incorrect translations that doesn’t accurately reflect the original content, which can be confusing or even offensive to your target audience. Instead, it’s better to use professional translation services to provide more accurate and nuanced translations tailored to your target audience and location.

2. Don’t Ignore Cultural Differences

Localization is not just about translating text but also about adapting to different cultural norms and expectations. For example, if you’re targeting Arabic speakers in the Middle East, you might need to adjust your website’s design to accommodate right-to-left reading or avoid using specific colors or symbols that are considered offensive in that culture. Ignoring cultural differences can make your website feel inauthentic and can alienate your target audience, so it’s essential to consider them when localizing your SEO strategies.

3. Don’t Neglect Local Link Building

SEO localization includes adapting your website content to suit a new audience and optimizing it for local search engines so that it can be easily found and indexed by those search engines. This means using the right keywords and phrases, optimizing your website’s structure, and building links to your website from local websites. Failing to do so can result in your website being overlooked or ignored by local search engines.

Conclusion

SEO localization is integral to international SEO and involves adapting your website content, keywords, links, and more to suit a new target audience and location. When you get it right, your website will rank higher in local search engines and will be more appealing to your target audience, leading to more conversions and sales. Following these do’s and don’ts of SEO localization can help improve your rankings and appeal to a new local audience.